Chapter 4
“Just like old times, isn’t it?” Arkyn’s brother, Ulrik, waved his beer to indicate the crowd at their favorite Friday night hangout. Their former favorite hangout. Back before Ulrik had wrapped his life around his fiancée, Eydís.
“If you mean when we would come here to find a hookup, then old times were about eight months ago.” Arkyn sipped his beer and surveyed the crowd. Typical Friday, it was packed. Men wearing whatever they’d worn to work that day, and women in their Minnesota Friday night finest. Which usually meant a shirt with an obscene amount of sequins or sparkles on it, the good pair of jeans often also sporting sparkly things, and comfy shoes.
“Pfft. We were here two weeks ago and hooked up.” Ivar, the third-born brother, chimed in.
Arkyn frowned at that statement. “I’m the one who hooked up. You two went home with your fiancées.”
“Yeah. I took Lucia home and we hooked up.” Ivar snickered. “My point being the old times aren’t all that old.”
“Seems like they are,” Arkyn muttered to himself, then took a long swig of his beer, his heart heavy. Torn between wishing for the days when he and his brothers were all single and longing to be part of a pair like his brothers now were. He wouldn’t wish away the women they’d found; those ladies were all amazing.
He just… wanted one of his own.
Another unsatisfied glance around the bar and he opened one of the dating apps on his phone. He matched with a lot of women. And even more reached out to him. That would stroke any man’s ego, but he sighed in resignation after scrolling for a few minutes.
“See anyone who catches your eye?” Ulrik asked, leaning back against the high table they’d secured.
“Nobody to swipe right on,” Arkyn grumbled. Not exactly true. There were plenty of beautiful, accomplished women in his feed. Doctors, lawyers, teachers. Even socialites just looking for a total snack who was GOAT in bed.
The use of slang made him feel older than his thirty-one years.
He sighed again. “They’re all in the big cities. Driving a couple hours each way for a relationship seems excessive. Especially when they’re already established there.” Arkyn waved his phone like it was a Magic 8 ball and he could roll for a better answer. Something like signs point to yes or it is decidedly so. “Who would want to uproot themselves to move to our little slice of heaven here?”
Ulrik stared at him. “I think you mean, what woman wouldn’t want to marry a successful businessman who looks like Thor?” Arkyn wished he hadn’t told his brother about that first conversation with Ama. Ulrik took a swig of beer. “And more importantly, what woman wouldn’t want me for a brother-in-law?”
“Any who realize they’d also get Ivar as a brother-in-law,” Arkyn deadpanned. He loved his family, but the Metal Dragon third-born could be prickly.
“True.” Ivar nodded, without apology for his behavior or offense at Arkyn’s words. “But I think Ulrik was actually asking if any of the ladies here at the bar tonight have caught your eye, not the ones on your lame app.”
Arkyn glanced around again. For the size of their city, Bunyon’s Bar was enormous, sporting dining tables in the bar area, a dance floor in the back, a few pool tables to the side, and even some dart boards against a far wall. He and his brothers had been coming here for years, and he hadn’t met the woman of his dreams yet. He shrugged. “Not sure what I expect, haunting the same watering holes yet hoping for different results.”
“Well, there’s always church potlucks, the county fair, and Beerfest at The Cities.” Ivar ticked off with his fingers. “But honestly, none of that helped us find ours. Hate to quote one of Dragon Lady’sfortune cookies, but maybe you just need to leave love to Fate.”
Leave it to Fate? While Lin’s fortune cookies had been spot-on where falling in love with Ty was concerned, Arkyn wasn’t about to put his future into the hands of something as elusive as Fate or Chance. His parents hadn’t raised his brothers and him to sit back and wait for life to happen. As the heir-alpha, Arkyn was bred to command. To have the foresight and skills to lead their company and clan into the future. To stand at the front and charge into battle and solve the problems and treat the wounds. To be unafraid and unapologetic and bold.
None of that helped with this ache of being left behind.
“No more feeling sorry for yourself, big bro.” Lucia spoke through their mental connection and waved at him from where she and Eydís played darts with a group of women. “We’ve found the perfect woman for you!”
Big bro?
“Looks like we’re playing darts, big bro.” Ulrik raised his beer to Eydís, who waved them over. He clapped Arkyn on the back and cut a path across the crowded bar. Ivar followed suit, leaving Arkyn to grab their bucket o’ beers. He signaled to the server to bring another bucket to the darts area.
“I come bearing a humble offering.” He smiled to the group of ladies as he plunked the bucket on the nearby table. “With more on its way.”
The group of women cheered and helped themselves to the beers while Eydís took charge of making introductions. The women were all perfectly pretty, typically Minnesotan, and utterly unremarkable. A few were former roommates from the U. A couple were coworkers. Some were even related to one another in some way. He didn’t expend the brain power to remember their names or differentiate who was who. But the eighth, who had just finished her dart game and turned to greet him, was clearly the one Lucia had meant.
Charlotte Larson.
The same woman who’d pined over Ivar for years before turning her attention to Ulrik. Apparently, it was Arkyn’s turn to be in a position to rebuff her unwanted attentions. If ever a family had a nemesis, it just might be Charlotte Larson. Which was saying something because his family had already battled and beaten Níeh?ggr.
“Better you than me, big bro.” Ivar cackled so hard over their mental communication abilities that he had to turn his back on the group and pretend to help the server find room on the bottle-filled table for the next bucket of beers.
Ulrik simply stared at his phone as if reading government secrets.
“And here I thought you liked me, Lucia.” Arkyn meant to tease, but he heard the disappointment in his voice.
“Arkyn, I know you’ve secretly had a crush on our girl here for a long time now.” Eydís slung an arm around Charlotte’s shoulder as if they were besties. Then Eydís winked at him. “But you waited too long. She’s lost her heart to Chad Peterson.”
Charlotte actually blushed. Ivar and Ulrik whipped their attention to her, obviously shocked at the news that anyone could love Chad Peterson. Charlotte tucked a lock of hair behind her ears and giggled, flashing the shiny diamond ring on her third finger. “What can I say? He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, dontcha know.”
“Hopefully that offer wasn’t to embroil her family’s business in scandal and then offer to buy it for pennies.” Ulrik was still bitter about Chad’s participation in the recent Pine Mountain beetle infestation that had centered solely on Drekison lands. As a Wood Dragon, Ulrik had been singularly equipped to lead the charge on that battle, which very well could have destroyed the family business. And might have, if Eydís hadn’t shown up with her special gift so secret even she hadn’t known about it. Ulrik was likely still salty about Chad’s part in the scandal Eydís’s former employer had ordered her to start.
“It couldn’t have happened to a nicer couple.” Ivar declared loudly, raising his beer in salute. “Thank Christ. I thought I was going to have to get a restraining order on the woman.”
Lucia walked into Ivar’s arms and murmured something in Norwegian. But Arkyn wasn’t listening. His attention had turned to a figure he hadn’t previously noted exiting the dance floor and heading their direction.
Ama.
Dressed in a sage-green jersey romper, cropped white t-shirt, and neon pink Croc sandals decorated with googly-eye charms. She’d opted for soft waves of short purple hair tonight instead of spikes, and her manga face lacked any dramatic streaks of clubbing makeup, thus emphasizing her starry-eyed innocence.
By the Allfather, she was beautiful.
“Hi, Arkyn!” She waved with all the enthusiasm of a small child as she approached.
“Oh, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Ama.” One of the women playing darts reprimanded. “You can’t wear that outfit to a bar, dontcha know.”
Ama looked down at her outfit and shrugged. “Why not? It has pockets!”
To prove her point, she shoved both hands into her pockets and waggled them around, the overall effect resembling a dancing sports mascot.
Another woman in the group groaned. “Oh for cute, but that’s not how you get dates, Ama.”
Ama tilted her head to consider the words, much like Astra tilted her head when Arkyn talked to her… right before she did whatever she damn well pleased. “I’d rather have chicken nuggets.”
Arkyn swallowed his laugh.
“Ama and I work at the same daycare.” One of the women placed her hand on his arm and spoke in a tone like she was apologizing for a misbehaving child who knew better. Her grip was possessive and he felt it like knives scraping his flesh. Odd. Over the years, he’d been touched by all manner of women, and never before had it cut across his nerves like this. Perhaps his visceral reaction was due to her unflattering opinion of her coworker.
For her part, Ama merely rifled through the bucket of beers as if she hadn’t heard.
Another woman from the group chimed in, disdain clear in her expression. “I guess you can take the worker out of the daycare, but you can’t always take the daycare out of the worker.”
Someone growled low. Did that come from him? His dragon? One of his brothers? Arkyn glanced around, looking for the source and finding only his family wearing expressions ranging from unimpressed to annoyed.
Still oblivious, Ama yanked a bottle out of the ice like she’d discovered gold. “But Debra, you work at a proctologist’s office.”
Eydís threw her head back and laughed, then stuck her hand out to the taller but significantly less curvy woman who had unknowingly just thrown major shade at Debra. “Hi, Ama. I’m Eydís. I love your googly eyes.”
Ama nodded, but didn’t offer a hand to shake. Instead, she tensed up and curled inward a bit, clutching her unopened beer to her chest. Eydís was accustomed to cutthroat corporate boardroom behaviors, yet retracted her hand without looking upset to be left hanging. Perhaps because Ama’s pinched expression made it obvious she was uncomfortable meeting new people. The thought tugged at Arkyn’s heart. She hadn’t been shy or reserved with him, but her current reaction appeared every bit like someone lost where navigating social situations was concerned.
Again, she reminded him of Astra. His kitten had been similarly uncertain when he’d set her in his living room and expected her to explore. Apparently, the desperation that had urged the little furball to run in front of his truck hadn’t translated into courage when the stakes were less dire.
He shook off the lingering hand of the other woman he’d already forgotten about. “Ama.”
Ama instantly relaxed and raised a trusting gaze to his. She hadn’t put on her clubbing makeup, but she wore her swirling cosmos contacts, and they tugged at him, like a black hole sucking him into a vortex of nebulous clouds and starlight. As it had before, time seemed to pause and gravity fell away as if he was weightless and floating.
For an Earth Dragon, the sensation was unnerving. But also freeing in a way he couldn’t yet describe.
Arkyn blinked, and the moment was gone like it had never happened. Had he imagined it? He shook his head to clear it and nodded toward the others standing around him. “Ama, this is my family. Most of it anyway. My brothers, Ulrik and Ivar, and their respective fiancées, Eydís and Lucia. My youngest brother, Ty, and his fiancée Lin, live in LA”
“Hi.” She pulled her hand from where it still clutched the beer bottle and offered a small wave. Her smile was tentative but sincere.
Ulrik leaned forward just enough to get her attention without crowding her. “You’re the one who helped Arkyn with the cat distribution system, aren’t you? I’d recognize a fellow animal lover anywhere.”
All tension melted from her body at the change in conversation topic. Her smile blossomed into brilliance. “Yes! He’s so lucky, isn’t he? I was once a recipient of the toad distribution system, but I don’t think that’s the same thing.”
“Well, it’s certainly not as cuddly.” Ulrik smiled.
“Did you kiss it? Did it turn into a prince?” Ivar jumped on the topic.
“You have it confused with a frog turning into a prince.” Lucia corrected him gently.
“Lucia would know.” Ulrik confirmed, jerking his chin toward Ivar. “She’s the one who kisses unsavory creatures.”
Eydís crossed her arms. “I think that designation belongs to me, Baby Girl. Or have you forgotten the outfit you wore when we met?”
“Forgotten it?” Ivar piped in. “I’m pretty sure Ulrik keeps it in a special place for sexy times.”
Arkyn threw up in his mouth a little. “Thanks for that mental image.”
Ama shook her head vehemently, her voice breathless. “Oh, you’re all wrong. I think you all get to kiss beautiful creatures.”
The ladies of her group had mostly turned their attention back to beer and darts. The few who were still trying to be part of the conversation snorted in disdain at Ama’s comment. She blinked, but didn’t lose her enchanted expression. She was too sweet to be real. He had to touch her.
He brushed his fingertips across her cheek, and she focused the warmth of that smile on him before he could get jealous of his own brothers. Wait, jealous? Weird… He’d never before been jealous of his own brothers.
Arkyn lowered his voice just for her. “You’re not wearing your clubbing streaks.”
“This isn’t a club. It would be weird to wear them here, right?” She shrugged and nibbled her lips. In another woman, that would be a seduction tactic. In Ama, the move seemed more out of nerves or worry that he might find her odd.
He found her anything but. “I think you should wear them wherever you want. They were like a meteor shower on your cheeks.”
Her smile grew brilliant again. “You promised to bring Astra.”
“Nope.” He made the word pop and smiled at her. “That promise was for sushi and milkshakes.”
The joy evaporated from her face, taking his with it. He’d meant to tease, not make her unhappy. Grasping at a way to bring back her smile, he slipped his phone from his back pocket. “But I might have a couple pictures of her.”
More like thousands. He was truly enchanted by the little furball. She was the cutest thing ever created and he couldn’t help snapping her picture whenever she did anything. And by anything, he included the simple act of breathing.
Ama squealed in delight, thrust her unopened beer bottle at the nearest hand, and ducked under his arm. Her back pressed against his front, her bottom settled against his pelvis—the perfect height for bending her over a tabletop and rutting with her like an animal. But he wasn’t an animal, so he forced the mental image away. Her hands gripped his forearms like a person holds the safety bar of an amusement park thrill ride. Was he a thrill ride for her? Did he make her feel safe? Did she have any idea how much her gentle touch zinged straight to his cock?
His dragon sighed with contentment and stretched beneath his skin, scales pressing against the flesh of his forearms Ama gripped, threatening to appear for the whole bar to see. Arkyn yanked the beast back. His family’s shifting abilities had been a secret for decades, and revealing it to a bar full of Alexandria human residents was unacceptable.
Yet his dragon refused to retreat completely, still holding firm but without the threat of shifting. Ama’s fingers traced his arms absentmindedly, almost as if tracing the lines of his dragon’s scales. As if she could feel the subtle difference in texture. But surely that was a coincidence.
Arkyn focused on scrolling through the myriad of cat photos on his phone. “This is her sleeping on the couch. This is her sleeping on my pillow. Scratching at the mushroom?—”
“Oh, it’s a good thing you thought to get that.”
He chuckled and turned to her, his nose brushing the soft hair at her temple in a move that might or might not have been on purpose but he’d never tell. She smelled of night sky and starlight. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m glad I did, too. Here she’s chasing sunbeams, don’t look at the dusty shelves. And here she’s eating…”
The rest of the bar and its patrons faded into the murmuring background. Arkyn lost track of time while he entertained Ama with kitty photos. She seemed as infatuated as he with Astra’s cuteness, and together they ooohed and awwwed at every little expression and pose the kitten had made over the course of the last week.
At one point, Lucia’s voice slid into his head. “I do like you, Arkyn. And you misunderstood me. Charlotte Larson wasn’t the perfect woman Eydís and I found for you. Ama is.”
Ama lifted her head to look around the bar while he glanced in Lucia’s direction and frowned. Surely she was still teasing him. Ama was lovely, and made him laugh, and fit in his arms better than anyone else ever had. And she certainly wasn’t anything like Charlotte Larson. But there was no way she was the perfect woman for him.